Aaron A. Alford

We analyzed a nationally representative sample of local public health professionals (LPHPs) from varying jurisdiction sizes across the United States who responded to the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Our goal was to explore experiences of burnout; perceived belonging within an agency; self-rated mental and emotional well-being; and intentions to leave an organization. Results showed that burnout was negatively associated with and perceived belonging within an agency was positively associated with ratings of mental and emotional health. Each of these 3 variables were associated with an intent to leave an organization in the next year. We discuss implications to—and recommendations for mitigating—attrition of the nation’s local public health workforce after the size of the LPHP workforce rebounded following over a decade of decline.

Objectives. To explore whether and how the local health department (LHD) workforce shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic given the large influx of supplemental funding to public health. Methods. We used data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials National Profile of Local Health Departments, the main source of comprehensive data collected from LHDs across the United States. Total numbers of employees, total numbers of full-time equivalents (FTEs), and employee types (full time, part time, contractual, and seasonal) were used to estimate the total LHD workforce in 2022, changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022, and changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022 by employee type. Results. In 2022, the estimated LHD workforce consisted of 182 100 employees or 163 200 FTEs. Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 19% increase in the total LHD workforce, but the size of the workforce varied according to jurisdiction size and rurality. The largest increase was among contract workers (175%), whereas the full-time workforce grew by approximately 7%, indicating that the permanent workforce was predominantly unchanged. Conclusions. With the surge in temporary and contract workers in 2022, there are concerns regarding the sustainability of the LHD workforce. Without continued strategic and sustained funding across jurisdiction types, the workforce may be in jeopardy. ( Am J Public Health. 2025;115(8):1271–1277. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308096 )

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, news and nationwide survey efforts have reported harassment and bullying among local health officials, departments, and personnel, concurrent to a shortage of public health staff in the United States. We examined a nationally representative sample of local public health professionals (LPHPs) from the 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) data set to explore reported experiences with harassment, threats, and bullying; self-rated mental and emotional well-being; and intent to leave an organization. Results indicated that experience of harassment was negatively associated with ratings of mental and emotional health and positively associated with an intent to leave an organization. We discuss implications and recommendations to mitigate these risks for the nation's local public health workforce.

Context: Although core scientific skills remain a priority to public health, preventing and responding to today's leading causes of death require the workforce to build additional strategic skills to impact the social, community-based, and economic determinants of health. The 2017 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey allows novel regional analysis of training needs, both individually and across 8 strategic skill domains. Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the training needs of public health staff nationally, across the 10 Department of Health and Human Services Regions. Design: The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey was a Web-based survey fielded to 100 000 staff nationwide across 2 major frames: state health agency-central office and local health department. State-based respondents were fielded on a census approach, with locals participating in a more complex sampling design. Balanced repeated replication weights were used to address nonresponse and sampling. Setting: State and local health departments. Participants: Respondents from state and local health departments. Main Outcome Measures: This article draws from the training needs portion of Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Descriptive statistics are generated, showing training needs gaps. Inferential analyses pertain to gaps across Region and supervisory status, using Pearson χ² test and Rao-Scott design–adjusted χ² test. Results: Training needs varied across regions and work setting. Certain strategic skills tended to see larger, consistent gaps regardless of Region or setting, including Budgeting & Finance, Change Management, Systems Thinking, and Developing a Vision for a Healthy Community. Conclusions: Overall, the data suggest substantial interregional variation in training needs. Until now, this picture has been incomplete; disparate assessments across health departments, Regions, and disciplines could not be combined into a national picture. Regionally focused training centers are well situated to address Region-specific needs while supporting the broader building of capacity in strategic skills nationwide.

Two protocetid whale vertebrae, here referred to“Eocetus” wardii, have been recovered from the riverbed of the Pamunkey River in east-central Virginia. Neither bone was found in situ, but both were found with lumps of lithified matrix cemented to their surfaces. Most of this matrix was removed and processed for microfossils. Specimens of dinoflagellates were successfully recovered and this flora clearly demonstrates that both vertebrae came from the middle Eocene Piney Point Formation, which crops out above and below river level in the area where the bones were discovered. These vertebrae are the oldest whale remains reported from Virginia and are as old as any cetacean remains known from the western hemisphere.